'Tis that time of the year: All I Want For Christmas - The Corporate Edition

Parties, Kris Kringles, etc. This is what we all get to deal with at this time of the year. We can't hide the fact that a lot of us spend so much time, effort and resources to celebrate this season of giving. Unfortunately, we didn't have the chance to since we just moved in to a new office a couple of days ago and we still have a lot of fixing to do. But that doesn't stop there. Our project director happened to send us an email about our Christmas wishlist for gift giving. While I may not be around when they have their Christmas party (I'll be going back home to the Philippines for Christmas), here's an email I sent out as my take on our Christmas wishlist.

Dear boss,

While I may not be around by the time you have our office Christmas party, here's my take on the Christmas wishlist. While everyone has their share of MP3 players, bluetooth headset, and all those fancy gadgets, here's mine. Its more of an insight than a request.

A recent study by CityNews of Ontario, Canada revealed that that most employees throw away their co-workers’ “Secret Santa” gifts. I don't know about you but in my experience, I've probably given away 8 out of 10 presents I've got from the past Christmas celebrations at work (I don't like the idea of throwing away something that might be useful to someone else). To put numbers on those statistics, according to an unscientific Time Inc. Giftscriptions survey, 31 percent of people are throwing away their co-workers' presents. Still, 41 percent of respondents still bought additional presents for co-workers, and more than half report disliking the gifts they received. I guess those numbers have just stressed out what we have all been thru every Christmas season. Another more striking question could be, "Do you remember what you got for Christmas last year?" I bet a few, if not none, of us remember anything at all. With all of these facts, instead of exchanging gifts between co-workers, why don't we try something new? Why don't we donate a certain amount to noble causes or charitable institutions? I believe that we set a certain amount for those gifts that we give. Imagine, if we have like around 87 staff including management, a mere $20 each can raise $1740. Just imagine how far that amount could go - it could send like 5 kids to school for a year in Cambodia, provide clean drinking water to a community in South Africa, provide a decent meal for the malnourished kids in Ethiopia, buy over a thousand pairs of shoes for the less privileged in the Philippines, etc. The possibiities are infinite as Fujitsu slogan says. Not only did we make our gift giving worthwhile by cutting down on the statistics of throwing away unwanted presents, we can also make this a Christmas present we'll never forget.

As we celebrate this season of giving, may we remember its true meaning amidst the shopping spree and stressful celebration. Have a merry Christmas and a happy new year.